When LST student and committee member Nathan Kosciecha travelled to Mallorca over the summer, it wasn’t for the sex, drugs and alcohol, but rather to see lives transformed by Christ. In an area ruled by darkness, he witnessed Jesus’ power as chains of sin were broken. Here, he writes of his experiences.

This article was originally published in Premier Chrisitanity Magazine and has been republished with permission.

If you’re interested in serving with Reach Mallorca, you can find out more on their website.

Let me take you to one of the biggest party zones in Mallorca – S’Arenal. It’s 5 August, and I’m standing on the beach, sieving the sand through my toes. I look up and see the glorious sun setting over the warm Mediterranean Sea. The air is strong with the smell of salt and alcohol.

I look around and I am surrounded by a large group of people. I count roughly 250, all wearing white t-shirts that read ‘REACH MALLORCA’. Every eye is focused on three individuals stood waist deep in the salt water. The middle person is lowered in and raised back up again, met with the triumphant sound of cheering and singing. Baptisms!

Sex, drugs and alcohol

Here, in the midst of the chaos of partygoers and holidaymakers, lives are being submitted to Christ. This was the final day of a ten-day outreach. Reach Mallorca’s vision is to reach the millions of tourists who come to the island on holiday – as well as the many Spanish locals – with the greatest news the world has and will ever know: the Gospel!

It was such a privilege to be part of this team of 250 Christians from all over Europe, united in this one mission. Usually when we think of the lost, our minds don’t jump to somewhere like Mallorca. But the more I walked the streets of this holiday island, the more I saw the desperate need for Jesus to bring life into this place where sin is so openly celebrated.

Image courtesy of Reach Mallorca.

Every day as the sun went down, the night clubs and strip clubs became alive with drinking and dancing. One of the outreach locations we regularly went to was Magaluf – the British party zone. As we brought the Gospel to the rowdy streets, it was obvious that our message was so alien to this culture of sex, drugs and alcohol.

Yet, people in our group would come back and testify about how God had performed miraculous healings, brought people to their knees in nothing but tears, cast out demons and turned lives around in incredible ways. One night in the red light district, a prostitute accepted the offer of freedom and can now be placed in a safe house! Here is a region where Satan rules, yet even Satan cannot stop the Lord from breaking the chains of darkness and bringing people into his marvellous light!

Planting seeds

Image courtesy of Reach Mallorca.

Not every encounter, however, was as visibly spectacular as these, and equally, God doesn’t always grant us the blessing of witnessing a conversion. Often, we must plant the seed for someone else to water.

It was an encounter like this with a local Spanish woman that has stayed with me most from my time in Magaluf. My friend and I approached this woman and started discussing with her about life after death. She said that those who were genuinely good on the inside would go to heaven, and those who had this ‘inner evil’ would go to hell.

After explaining that no one can be with God unless they trust in Jesus, I could see tears forming in her eyes. She told us that these things had been on her mind for the last few days, and she wanted to believe – to have this relationship with God, that Jesus promises – but wasn’t yet ready to commit her life to it. Sadly we lost contact, but I pray that the seed we planted will be watered, that God would speak to her through her Bible and that by his grace, through faith, she would accept his gift of eternal life.

Reach Mallorca was a huge step outside of my comfort zone, which led me to places where I had to fully depend on God. It challenged me in a new way by widening my view of what it means to live “no longer I, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). I realised how crucial it is to draw from God’s strength and presence every day. There is so much joy and freedom when we submit to God’s Spirit and die to our selves.

During my time in Mallorca, I experienced the transforming love and grace of God as he worked his purposes through willing, worshipping Christians. His word came alive and brought salvation to lives that were lost in darkness. This is the power of the Gospel, and the Lord calls us all to make him known in all the earth. So let us be bold in reaching the lost with the message of Christ!

Image courtesy of Reach Mallorca.